2G scam: Court asks Swamy to appear before District Judge

Published: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 11:45 [IST]

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New Delhi, Mar 17: In the wake of the Supreme Court's direction for setting up an exclusive court to deal with cases relating to 2G spectrum scam, a Delhi court today marked the file to the District Judge and asked Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy to appear before it.

"The Supreme Court had directed setting up of exclusive court to deal with cases arising out of the 2G scam.

District and Sessions Judge-1 is requested to kindly entrust this file to the court so constituted," Special CBI Judge Pradeep Chaddah said. The court, while marking the file to the District Judge, has asked Swamy to appear before the district court on Mar 25.

Swamy's lawyer Tarun Goomber sought exemption for his client from personal appearance for today as Swamy has to appear before the Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum case. The court allowed Swamy's plea.

The Delhi High Court had earlier decided to set up a special court exclusively to hold the trial in the 2G scam for expeditious hearing in the case.

High Court sources had told PTI that CBI Judge OP Saini, who is dealing with the case, has been appointed as a Special Judge to exclusively deal with the matter.

The CBI had earlier told the court that it is probing if the country's internal security has been compromised due to the 2G spectrum allocation to ineligible telecom operators during former Telecom Minister A Raja's tenure.

The agency said it is probing the threat to the country's internal security as per the concerns raised by Swamy, who had come to the court seeking a probe into scam.

Swamy had also sought the court's direction to appoint him as a public prosecutor to help the agency probe the case.

The agency had told the court that it had been probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam within the confines of the first information report registered by it.

Swamy, in his petition filed before the court, had said Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless, which were allotted licensees, had sold their major shares to two foreign companies Etisalat DB and Telenor, which is "a major threat" to national security.

"The first two licensees, Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless, soon after the allocation of spectrum to them sold their controlling shares respectively to Etisalat DB and Telenor. The national security risk from these companies are highlighted by the Union Home Ministry as their connections go right into Pakistan," Swamy had said.

Swamy had earlier sought the court's direction to CBI to ask the Union Home Ministry, Research and Analysis Wing and other intelligence agencies to find out the bearings of 2G Scam on national security.